1. Field
The following description relates to a portable terminal and a method for providing a social network service using a human body communication, and more particularly, to a portable terminal and a method for providing a social network service using a human body communication.
2. Discussion of the Background
A social network service or a social community service is a service that focuses on building and maintaining relationships between a user and other persons in a communication environment.
In the communication industry, signal transmission technologies for transmitting various data between portable terminals include a human body communication technology. The human body communication technology uses the human body as a transmission medium, similar to an electrical wire, to communicate data. This technology relies on the conductor properties of a human body, which allows weak electric current to flow and electrical signals to be transmittable using the human body. In an example, if a voltage is applied to a human body contacted with a transmitter or receiver, an electric field of the surface of the human body changes, and the transmitter or receiver amplifies a small difference in the electric field and allows the electrical signals to be transmitted or received. The current flowing into the human body may be approximately 500 μA, which may be equal to a level of an electric current used in a body fat scale, and harmless to the human body.
Accordingly, using an electric current running through a human body as a transmission medium, similar to an electrical wire, the human body communication may enable transmission of various data, such as a picture, a moving image, a sound source, and the like, by making contact with a finger or shaking hands without a need for an Internet network, while reducing power consumption.